Girl, 14, hit by Edinburgh tram in city centre

A teenage girl has been struck by a tram in Edinburgh's city centre. Picture: Ian Rutherford

ALASTAIR DALTON

A GIRL was hit by a tram in Edinburgh today in the first such incident since testing started on the city’s streets in December.

The 14-year-old crossed Princes Street in front of the tram near its junction with South Charlotte Street around 5pm.

She was knocked backwards by the westbound tram after its driver made an emergency stop, having been travelling at 17mph.

The girl refused treatment and walked away.

Passengers on the tram were taken off at the next stop in Shandwick Place and it returned to the depot at Gogar.

A spokesman for Transport for Edinburgh (TfE): “We can confirm a pedestrian was struck by a tram this afternoon. We have informed the emergency services and we are investigating the incident.”

The collision came as city council-controlled TfE announced the trams carried a record 27,000 passengers yesterday, boosted by more than 10,000 One Direction fans heading to and from BT Murrayfield stadium.

The figure was 2,000 more than for Saturday’s launch day, bringing the total for the first four days of operation to 85,000.

However, critics have questioned how many passengers have simply switched from Lothian Buses, the city’s main operator.

No major problems have been reported, although there have been complaints from residents about the loudness of announcements at tram stops.

There were also faults on Saturday with some ticket machines, minor signalling delays, and CCTV and electrical problems on two trams.

The 8.5 mile line between Edinburgh Airport and York Place in the city centre cost £776 million, and was completed three years late and £200m over budget because of a major construction dispute and other difficulties.

A Police Scotland spokesman said: “We have been advised of a 14-year-old girl being hit a glancing blow by a tram between the Princes Street and Shandwick Place tram stops around 5pm.

“The girl declined medical treatment. The tram is being returned to the depot, where officers will view on-board CCTV to get a fuller picture of the incident.”